Today@Sam Article

Dance Gets In Sync For Fall Spectrum Showcase

Nov. 21, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Emily Binetti

Story by Angela Theis.

The Sam Houston State University Department of Dance will present its biannual performance of Dance Spectrum Dec. 1-3 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. showing on Saturday, in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater.

The show will feature a wide array of performance styles, from various faculty members and visiting professional choreographers, as well as the top dancers and designers of SHSU.

Samples of the costumes designed by student Kalee Irwin, which will be part of the upcoming Dance Spectrum concert.

“Everything from classical and contemporary ballet, to traditional and contemporary modern, even hip hop, sometimes makes its way on stage,” said Barry Doss, dance costume designer and shop director.

Dance Spectrum is a faculty choreographed, highly competitive show in which all dance students audition and vie for the coveted spots in the performances, but not all dance students make the show.

Similar to many of the performances presented by the SHSU College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication, the show relies on many people in different aspects of the performing arts to come together and produce a spectacular showcase of choreography, costume, set design, and talent.

Doss has reshaped the costume design program to include student-designed costumes.

“We actually have undergraduate students in the dance department who are designing costumes for the mainstage production of Spectrum,” Doss said.

Kalee Irwin, a costume studies assistant, took on the immense responsibility of designing and stitching the pieces for professor Andy Noble’s choreography in the fall production in her official dance costume designing debut.

“I sit down with the choreographer and gain details on what their vision is for the piece,” Irwin said. “From there we begin to discuss how their concepts can be incorporated into the costume design, (including) details such as how many dancers there are, what color themes the choreographer likes, and how mobile the costumes need to be.”

Doss oversees all of the costumes being made for the performance, making sure the students learn not just how to create new pieces but also alter and recycle old ones.

“You have to first kind of figure out what is the best resource for the idea that we’re tackling with any specific dance piece. Is it something we have to build, or is it something we need to buy? Is it something we need to recycle? Can we restore something with dye or paint? So, every dance piece is different,” Doss said.

Much like costumes, a new and innovative set design will have a major impact on this semester’s Dance Spectrum.

“Andy Noble has created a piece that includes revolving doors, functioning in both practical and impractical ways,” Irwin said. “These doors can be propped vertically, horizontally and even on the diagonal.”

Noble’s piece is rooted in the idea of surrealism.

“It really takes it into a surreal world; like the artwork of MC Escher or even Salvador Dalí,” Doss said. 

Costumes, then, often draw inspiration from the choreography and set design to create a complete and cohesive experience.

“The doors are very industrial, so I decided to go with different shades of grey and black to give the costumes that same industrial feel,” Irwin said.

Irwin is not only designing and creating costumes for the show, but she is also performing in a piece choreographed by dance faculty Erin Reck.

Tickets to the show are available online or at 936.294.2339.

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